Get spotted and win prizes!

The Forest of Dean District Council is inviting members of the public to take part in this year’s anti-litter campaign by entering the #LoveYourForest car window sticker competition which has been launched at Forest Holidays, Christchurch this week.

The competition is being held as part of the wider #LoveYourForest campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the issues surrounding rural litter. Previous #LoveYourForest activities have included a ‘pop-up’ litter shop in Coleford, the installation of Communitrees - faces made from litter - at picnic sites across the district and a tour of the Hubbub and Lucozade Ribena Suntory ‘Trashconverter’ van which exchanged treats for bags of collected litter.

To take part in the competition, residents simply need to pick up a #LoveYourForest window sticker and display it in their vehicle.

Through the summer, any vehicle spotted with a sticker will be entered into the weekly draw to win a prize donated by local businesses and tourist attractions. The winning registration plates will be published in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Review, on the Council’s website and posted on the #LoveYourForest Facebook and Twitter pages.

Prizes to date include: a champagne tea at Tudor Farmhouse; a £30 meal voucher for The Woodman at Parkend; family ticket to Perrgrove Railway; a £30 Sunday Lunch voucher for the Red Hart at Blaisdon; tickets to Go Ape (or Tree Top Juniors if preferred); tickets for Forest of Dean Adventure; Taurus Crafts vouchers; Whitemead Forest Park vouchers; a Hillside Brewery tour; Freedom Leisure and Forestry Commission Discovery passes; as well as a fantastic 3-day stay for up to four people at one of Forest Holiday’s log cabins.

Stickers can be collected from a wide number of locations including libraries, village shops, leisure centres, tourist destinations and visitor sites, Forestry Commission sites as well as from the District Council’s offices in Coleford. A full list of participating outlets can be viewed on the Council’s website www.fdean.gov.uk/loveyourforest

Cllr Chris McFarling, Cabinet Member for the Environment at the Forest of Dean District Council said: ‘Litter is an ongoing issue, however, programmes such as ‘Blue Planet 2’ are helping highlight to a national audience the challenges that the natural world faces and we have received huge interest from the public about what they can do on the back of this publicity. The #LoveYourForest campaign is just one way local people can get involved.’

‘Last year, we had a tremendous response to the car window sticker competition with many hundreds of motorists pledging to keep the Forest of Dean clean, by displaying their sticker. We are keen to build on this success and hope even more people will take part this time around. We are very grateful to the local businesses that are getting behind the campaign and we have some great prizes up for grabs thanks to them.’

Kelly Macaskill, General Manager at Forest Holidays said: ‘We are delighted to support this year’s #LoveYourForest competition and give a prize for a stay in one of our cabins. The Forest of Dean is a beautiful place and a popular tourist destination so it is up to us all to take an active interest to protect it. We hope everyone will get on board with the litter prevention message of the campaign to take any rubbish home and dispose of it responsibly.’

Window stickers can also be collected from the new #LoveYourForest Trashconverter trailer which will be out and about at various events across the Forest of Dean. Residents can find out where the trailer will be stopping next by checking the #LoveYourForest Twitter page and Facebook.

The design of the sticker has not changed from last year, so residents who are already displaying their #LoveYourForest sticker do not need to collect a new one.

The Joint Waste Partnership provides waste and recycling services on behalf of Cheltenham Borough Council, Cotswold District Council, Forest of Dean District Council, Tewkesbury Borough Council and Gloucestershire County Council.

Hubbub UK (www.hubbub.org.uk) is a charity that uses the latest thinking backed by academic research to explore new ways to run behaviour change campaigns. The charity explores innovative and fun ways to interest mainstream consumers in important sustainability issues, through different ‘hubs’ of activity: Food; Fashion; Homes; and Neighbourhoods. Email: hello@hubbub.org.uk

Car window stickers can also be requested by contacting the Forest of Dean District Council on 01594 810000 or via email at: ecbo@fdean.gov.uk

Forest of Dean District Council is responsible for keeping public land and highways across the District clear of litter. This involves cleansing of towns and villages, A & B roads and other highways. The council is also responsible for the removal of fly tipping on public land and emptying litterbins.

The Council spends in excess of £400,000 per year on litter clearance so changing the anti-social behaviour of littering is of high importance.

To report fly tipping, roads or public areas that require a litter pick or litter hot spots and overflowing litterbins please contact the Customer Services team on 01594 810000 or email council@fdean.gov.uk and include as much detail as possible or visit our website.